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The Tale of Orville
The Tale of Orville is a folk tale believed to detail the first instance of powered flight on Terra. Since it deals with flight, it is particularly well-known on Maja, where it is a cautionary story taught to children. Many variants of the tale exist throughout the sector, but the base story is believed to date back to the constellation ships. The obscure references are considered vital clues by historians trying to piece together what Terra was like. The Tale Once upon a time, on ancient Terra, there was a machinafex of some renown called Wilbur. Together with his son Orville, Wilbur built many wondrous mechanisms for the tyrant Hughes of America, among them the great Labyrinth of Vegas. As he grew older, Hughes became jealous of his subject’s creations, and Wilbur and Orville were kept locked away in his Vegas fortress. Each day, the father and son would look out longingly over the Grand Canal, and wish they could be far away. In secret, Wilbur and Orville began to create a ship, with which to fly to their freedom. They constructed it of the Spruce available to them, and it was treated in goose fat to seal the gaps. After a long labour, it was finished, but in doing so Wilbur's vision began to fail. On the appointed day, they planned the flight. Being frail and nearly blind, Wilbur decided to stay behind. He knew that if he were still here, Hughes would pay little attention to Orville being missing. Wilbur loved and trusted his son, but he knew Orville had never flown before, and it had been many years since the boy had been allowed to see the wonders of the sea and the animals of the world. He instructed his son to fly as high as he could, and to keep a steady course for West Germany. Orville went through the pre-flight routine, and allowed himself a final look at the penthouse they were imprisoned in. The ship flew for several hours with no difficulty, matching the birds in height, and the whales in majesty. As they neared their destination, Orville could resist no longer, and dived lower so that he could see the great expanse of the Black Forest. He flew so low that he could see his own reflection in the Schluchsee, and the witches and their panthers dancing with elves in the moonlight. He was so enchanted that he forgot to pay attention to his fuel consumption. He tried desperately to regain height, but it was too late. West Germany was so close, but with nothing left to power the ship with, it fell just short, straight into Emperor Hasselhoff’s wall. Interpretation There are competing interpretations over the correct morals to be learned from this story. Parents telling the story often stress Orville's lack of discipline, and the implied lack of filial piety. House Fornax often uses it to stress practical lessons such as the importance of checking your fuel regularly. A radical interpretation is that Wilbur actually designed the first spaceship, and his command to fly high is supposed to mean out of the atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is doubtful the truth will ever be fully known. Category:House Fornax Category:Entertainment Category:Books